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Offseason Keys: Calgary Flames

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While the expansion draft is set to headline a busy NHL offseason, there are still several other storylines for each team in the months ahead. Here is a closer look at what lies ahead for the Calgary Flames.

After the team took some steps back in 2015-16, the Flames rebounded this season and got themselves back into the playoff picture.  That was the good news.  The bad news is that they were ousted about as quickly as they got there as Calgary was swept in the first round at the hand of the Ducks.  As a result, it’s likely that GM Brad Treliving will be looking to make some tweaks to the team this summer.  Here are a few things he’ll be trying to address.

New Goaltending

After a deal fell through with the Lightning for Ben Bishop last summer, the Flames turned to their next goalie on the list, acquiring Brian Elliott from St. Louis.  Elliott had played five strong seasons with the Blues but that success didn’t translate to Calgary as inconsistency and soft goals were problematic.  As a result, he lost the starting job at one point during the season and then did not play well against Anaheim in the playoffs.  As a pending unrestricted free agent, it’s not looking too likely that he’ll be back.

Chad Johnson had a statistically similar season to Elliott which, for someone who was signed to be the backup, wasn’t that bad.  However, he didn’t show that he’s capable of handling the number one role for more than a few games so he’s not the long-term solution either.  Like Elliott, Johnson is also heading for unrestricted free agency but if he’s open to a similar contract to the one he played under this season ($1.7MM), he could be back in a number two role once again.

Between free agency and the trade market which is likely to be buoyed by the expansion draft next month, the Flames should have plenty of options to choose from to give them help in the short-term to bridge the gap to some of their intriguing prospects including Jon Gillies and Tyler Parsons.  Supply should outweigh demand which should work in Treliving’s favor as well.  They had a new goalie tandem in 2016-17 and that could very well be the case again next year.

Bridge Or Long-Term Deal For Bennett?

Sam Bennett is only three years removed from being the fourth overall pick in the draft but he has yet to consistently perform as a top six forward after being selected as a potential top line center of the future.  After a 36 point season in 2015-16, his production actually took a dip to 26 points this past season while he started to drop down the lineup as well.

Apr 17, 2017; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Calgary Flames center Sam Bennett (93) skates with the puck against the Anaheim Ducks during the second period in game three of the first round of the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scotiabank Saddledome. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY SportsBennett’s entry-level contract is up and he is eligible for restricted free agency this summer.  In recent years, teams have largely shied away from giving bridge contracts to their high draft picks but this could certainly be a situation where this goes against the grain.  The short-term deals off entry-level pacts are often viewed as ‘show me’ contracts and after taking a step back this season, it’s likely that the Flames will be challenging Bennett to show them that he can still be a top liner down the road.

Figuring out a long-term deal now would be tricky.  Bennett hasn’t shown enough to command the greater than $6MM contracts that both Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan inked last summer.  However, if the team went much lower than that, it wouldn’t make a lot of sense for Bennett to sign as if he believed in his ability to bounce back, he’d be better off taking the bridge deal with the expectation that a much bigger pay day would soon await.  Given that narrow scope to work with, a short-term deal is by far the likeliest outcome.

Retool The Blueline

Last year, the Flames spent over $30MM on their back end (including Ladislav Smid’s $3.5MM on LTIR).  It’s likely that they’ll want to allocate some of that towards their goaltending while trying to add some help up front.

Calgary has a trio of defensemen set to hit unrestricted free agency in Deryk Engelland, Michael Stone, and Dennis Wideman.  Combined, the trio carried a cap hit of over $10MM last season (after factoring in the 50% retention on Stone’s contract by Arizona) so Treliving will have some money at his disposal as he looks to reshape Calgary’s back end.

Wideman isn’t expected to return while Engelland would likely have to take a pay cut from from the $2.9MM cap hit he carried.  Stone is coming off a down year but the soon-to-be 27 year old will still garner plenty of interest around the league this summer and it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Flames in the mix.

As things stand, Calgary has more than $17MM tied up in their top three defenders in Mark Giordano, Dougie Hamilton, and T.J. Brodie.  That leaves room for one more notable signing (Stone or someone similar) but it wouldn’t be surprising to see the bottom spots filled by depth players such as Matt Bartkowski or prospects like Rasmus Andersson and Brett Kulak.

With the number of players and money off the books this summer, if there was ever a time for Treliving to give the defense corps a new look, this is it.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Kings Name Dave Lowry As Assistant Coach

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It’s been a big day for NHL assistant coaching news already with Scott Gomez joining the New York Islanders staff and Scott Stevens leaving his post with the Minnesota Wild. Yet, the news continues to break. The Los Angeles Kings, new GM Rob Blake, and recently named head coach John Stevens today announced that Dave Lowry has joined the team as an assistant coach. Lowry joins goalie coach Bill Ranford on Stevens’ staff, one that will surely grow more as the off-season continues.

Lowry is no rookie when it comes to coaching; he has had his fair share of experience in the NHL and elsewhere. The 52-year-old began his coaching career as an assistant with the Western Hockey League’s Calgary Hitmen in 2005, eventually working his way into the head coaching position during the 2008-09 season and guiding the team to the WHL Championship round. Lowry then stayed in Calgary, but instead worked for his former NHL club, the Flames, from 2009 to 2012 in his first taste of big league coaching. Lowry returned to the junior game in 2012 as the head coach of the WHL’s Victoria Royals, a position he held until today’s announcement. In that time, Lowry won WHL Coach of the Year twice and helped his team to fourth place or better divisional rankings and a playoff berth every season. In 2016, his success also earned him the job of coaching Canada’s National Junior Team at the IIHF World Championships.

The Kings are one of the oldest teams in the NHL and have one of the league’s worst prospect pipelines, so Lowry will not be coaching kids like he has of late. However, the WHL is traditionally known a heavier league than it’s CHL counterparts with more physicality and less speed, much like the style of the Kings under Darryl Sutter. If Stevens also feels that his players are better suited to that pace, it is one that Lowry has ample experience with as a coach. It’s also similar to how Lowry played as an NHL player during his long 18-year career. Lowry, a left winger, was not so much known for scoring as he was for his physical two-way play. A Kings penalty kill that already ranked fifth in the league last year could be potent in 2017-18 and beyond with Lowry in the mix. Lowry was also an effective checking threat and a force in the crease at just 6’1″ and often less than 200 pounds, so he should be able to help the likes of young, similarly sized players like Tanner Pearson and Tyler Toffoli to round out their defensive games and rebound efficiency.

Anaheim Ducks Interested In Sam Bennett, Trade Unlikely

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One of the interesting nuggets from Elliotte Friedman’s latest “30 Thoughts” column for Sportsnet was that the Anaheim Ducks may have some interest in Calgary Flames’ underperforming Sam Bennett. While he didn’t go into detail on it in the column, he was asked about it today on Sportsnet 960 in Calgary.

Fleury’s Tenure In Pittsburgh Almost Over

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With the Stanley Cup about to begin on Monday, it was backup Marc-Andre Fleury who got quite a bit of attention at media day today. The backup goalie, who stepped up in the first two rounds of the playoffs and led the team to victories over the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Washington Capitals before giving way to starter Matt Murray, will almost guaranteed be in a Pittsburgh Penguins’ uniform for the last time after spending the last 13 years with the franchise.

“I try not to,” said Fleury, when asked whether he thinks about the upcoming offseason. “I try to live, day-by-day, go like that. We will see what happens at the end of the season.” The veteran goalie added, via NBCSports, that winning a Stanley Cup again would be one lasting memory he’d like to take away from this final season in Pittsburgh.

Because of the expansion draft, Fleury’s tenure in Pittsburgh is likely over. To begin with, the veteran has a No Movement Clause, which will ironically force the team to move him or buy him out rather than lose Murray, who is younger, cheaper and better. Fortunately for Fleury, his playoff success which included nine wins, a 2.56 GAA and a .924 save percentage in 15 playoff games, makes it easier to trade him as the 32-year-old will still be in high demand. Fleury does have a limited no-trade clause, which allows him to be traded to 18 teams of his choosing. While we have no idea who the 18 teams are, there is a good chance that he might agree to go to the Calgary Flames.

The Flames are coming off a strong season in which they reached the playoffs, but were swept out of the playoffs with much of the blame directed at their goaltending tandem of Brian Elliott and Chad Johnson. Both are free agents on July 1 and the team will be desperate for a starter.

While the Flames would have several options to choose from including Fleury, a veteran might be exactly what Calgary needs as their top two prospects are goaltenders in Jon Gillies and Tyler Parsons. Gillies, 23, just finished up his first full season for the AHL’s Stockton Heat. The former star goaltender from Providence College, finished the season with a 2.93 GAA, but the 2012 third-round pick did make his NHL debut this year. He might be a good backup for next year, but without a doubt isn’t ready for the starting job. Parsons, on the other hand, was a second-rounder in 2016 and isn’t ready for the NHL club yet. So, a veteran like Fleury would be a good fixture in net for the next two years as that’s what’s left of his contract.

Other teams like the Winnipeg Jets may be good fits as well, but there is no guarantee that the Jets are on Fleury’s 18-team list of teams. We’ll know soon enough.

 

Ladislav Smid Signs Two-Year Deal In Czech League

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  • Despite not playing at all in 2016-17, Ladislav Smid has signed a two-year contract with his former Czech team, Liberec. Still just 31-years old, Smid is coming off a four-year $14MM deal with the Calgary Flames after being traded from Edmonton in 2013, but spent the entire final season on LTIR. In 583 games, the defenseman scored just 72 points but was a physical force at times. After several neck injuries, he was forced to sit out this entire year but apparently is healthy enough to contribute in his home country. His time in the NHL seems to be over, at least for the immediate future.

Linden Vey Expected To Sign In KHL

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After putting up another excellent AHL season, restricted free agent Linden Vey may be headed overseas. It had been reported that the Calgary Flames forward has signed with Barys Astana, and now multiple others are hearing the same including Pat Steinberg of Sportsnet.

Vey was selected in the fourth round by the Los Angeles Kings back in 2009 and performed exceptionally well in the AHL before garnering a second-round pick in a trade with Vancouver in 2014. Now 25, Vey has never been able to stick in the NHL playing in just 138 games so far. He has scored 228 points in 278 AHL contests, and may find more success in the KHL.

The undersized forward wasn’t given a qualifying offer last summer, but earned a two-way deal with the Flames for the 2016-17 season. He got into four games, but failed to register a point. He was likely headed for another two-way deal this season, but will apparently instead take a one-year deal in the KHL to try to build his value back up.

Flames In Need Of A Goaltending Solution

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  • The Flames continue to search for a goaltender and Eric Francis of Postmedia writes about all of their options. In discussing the new deals for Ben Bishop and Scott Darling, Francis lists veterans like Marc-Andre Fleury and Ryan Miller as possibilities to bridge the gap to their young prospects. He also touches on other successful backups like Antti Raanta, who could try to follow the Cam Talbot-path from the shadow of Henrik Lundqvist to the ice in Alberta. In one way or another, the Flames must solve their goaltending issue, as both Brian Elliott and Chad Johnson will be free agents come July 1st. Interestingly, that adds the Flames as a landing spot for a goalie before the expansion draft, as they currently have none to protect.
  • One other name that is mentioned in regards to the Flames is Philipp Grubauer of the Washington Capitals, who Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press also goes in depth on. Grubauer knows that he is a target for the Vegas Golden Knights, and teammate Braden Holtby believes he’s ready to become a starter somewhere in the league. It’s not just Calgary and Vegas who will likely check in on Grubauer though after his performance this season. The 25-year old registered a .926 save percentage in 23 games and should be on the radar of several other teams—Whyno includes Winnipeg, Philadelphia and Colorado as teams possibly looking for an upgrade this summer.

Reactions To Bishop Signing

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One of the bigger names has taken his name off the open market as Ben Bishop, who arguably would have been the top option for teams looking for goaltending help, has inked a six-year agreement to remain with the Dallas Stars. Of course the Stars had acquired the veteran netminder earlier this week, sending a fourth-round draft choice to Los Angeles to secure exclusive negotiating rights to Bishop. The club and Bishop concluded negotiations fairly quickly and it’s evident given the terms of the arrangement that both parties believed this was a perfect match. Dallas clearly feels they’ve solved their longstanding issues between the pipes and Bishop has decided he wants to be a Star for what should amount to be the rest of his career. Let’s check in on reactions from around the league on the deal.

  • Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News calls the deal “team friendly” considering the cap hit comes in under $5MM annually. Bishop accounted for almost $6MM per season on the soon-to-expire contract he signed with Tampa Bay two years ago and likely could have exceeded that number had he reached the open market. Instead he chose the security of a long-term deal with a Dallas team he feels is “primed to win now.” Heika goes on to write that Dallas is expected to go with a Bishop-Kari Lehtonen duo in goal, suggesting that the team will likely buy Antti Niemi out if they can’t find a trade partner for his services. That plan doesn’t come without its flaws as the Stars would have more than $12MM tied up in its goaltenders for 2017-18; a figure that accounts for roughly 17% of the salary cap. While goaltending was certainly the team’s Achilles heel last season, the Stars will also likely be on the lookout for a blue line upgrade this summer. Even after extending Bishop and with Niemi still on the books, Dallas will have roughly $15MM to spend and that should be enough to bring in some competent help on the back end.
  • TSN’s Scott Cullen takes a look at the deal through the lens of statistical analysis and concludes that Dallas is taking a risk while betting big on Bishop. Using Corsica Hockey’s “expected goals” metric, Cullen notes that Bishop ranks 23rd of 54 goalies to have played in 80 games over the last four seasons in expected goal differential per 60 minutes and in all game situations. Ironically, incumbent starter Kari Lehtonen ranked slightly higher than Bishop using that metric. Cullen also cites Bishop’s age – he’ll turn 31 in November – as a concern given the overall length of the pact. Additionally, even with an expected Niemi buyout, Cullen argues that the Stars “goaltending fiasco has been expensive.”
  • Lastly, Jared Clinton of The Hockey News writes that the Calgary Flames, one of the teams expected to show strong interest in Bishop had he reached free agency, still have plenty of options as they look to upgrade their goaltending situation this summer. Clinton lists Detroit’s Jimmy Howard, Pittsburgh’s Marc-Andre Fleury and the Islanders Jaroslav Halak as potential trade targets. Additionally, the scribe mentions Steve Mason as a possible free agent fit. Interestingly, Clinton also suggests re-signing Brian Elliott, writing: “Elliott had been so very good over the three seasons prior to coming to Calgary that it’s hard to imagine he’s going to struggle as mightily once he takes the ice in 2017-18.” He also points out that Elliott’s poor 2016-17 would conceivably lower his asking price, making the veteran netminder the least expensive option on the market. That’s no small consideration for a Calgary team that rarely spends to the salary cap ceiling and may want to allocate their resources to upgrade other positions as well.

Ultimately, the Flames best bet may be to re-sign Elliott on the cheap and bring in another veteran on a short-term deal, perhaps Mason, to compete for the #1 job. Mason, who has battled inconsistency and injury during his career, has displayed flashes of being an excellent goalie at times. Given his up-and-down play, the former Calder Trophy winner should be amenable to a one-year, prove-it type of contract. Elliott, meanwhile, has been at his best in a timeshare situation and could again thrive while competing against a veteran such as Mason.

Several Teams Looking To Trade For Ben Bishop

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With a flurry of upcoming moves that is likely to come in the coming weeks before the NHL expansion draft, many teams are looking at the move that the Carolina Hurricanes made when they traded for the rights to Chicago Blackhawks’ backup goaltender Scott Darling. That allowed Carolina to negotiate with the unrestricted free agent at that moment and the team signed him yesterday.

After Carolina’s successful maneuver, The Hockey News’ Lyle Richardson writes that several teams may be looking to make a similar move for Los Angeles Kings’ goaltender Ben Bishop, who is also an unrestricted free agent and the No. 4-ranked unrestricted free agent this offseason by The Hockey News.

Richardson writes that TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reported on May 1 that a couple of teams had inquired about Bishop. While he didn’t name any teams, it is speculated that the Calgary Flames and the Dallas Stars would be two teams that would make sense to have interest in the 30-year-old netminder.

Los Angeles has no interest in Bishop as they have veteran Jonathan Quick locked up long-term. The team traded for Bishop at the deadline when Quick went down with an injury with hopes that Bishop could get them into the playoffs, which did not happen. However, the Kings wouldn’t complain about picking up some assets for the soon-to-be free agent. Chicago was able to net a third-round pick in this year’s draft for Darling. Why not something similar for Bishop?

The Flames are not a surprising option for Bishop as they tried to acquire Bishop last June, but instead traded for Brian Elliott, who they are now looking to move on from after a season with a 2.55 GAA and a .910 save percentage. His playoff performance was even worse as he averaged a 3.88 GAA and a .880 save percentage as the Flames were swept in their first-round series against the Anaheim Ducks.

Dallas, on the other hand, has both Kari Lehtonen and Antti Niemi under contract for one more year, but neither goaltender had a good season and they may be looking to net a replacement and move on in some way from one of the other two. Lehtonen, 33, had a 2.85 GAA and a .902 save percentage in 59 games, while Niemi (also 33) finished his season with a 3.30 GAA and a .892 save percentage in 37 contests.

 

 

 

Flames Sign GM Brad Treliving To Multi-Year Contract

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The Calgary Flames announced via Twitter this afternoon that they have signed General Manager Brad Treliving to a multi-year extension. No specifics about term or salary yet, but PHR will update as soon as more details become available. Treliving has been Calgary’s GM since April 2014.

Treliving’s future in Calgary grew muddied this offseason when he finished the season without a contract. The Flames bowed out of the 2016-17 playoffs without winning a game, creating question marks as to whether the team moves in a different direction.

Treliving was not afraid to make splashes in the trade market. Last offseason he traded for starting goaltender Brian Elliott and the offseason prior he acquired young defensman Dougie Hamilton.

The Buffalo Sabres will now cross off another candidate in the team’s GM search. It was speculated that had Calgary not signed Treliving that Buffalo would go after him.

 

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